Stat Check: How HeavyGod can unleash malbsMd on G2

We look at whether G2's new rifling duo can replace NiKo in the aggregate.

Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač was the face of G2 for most of his 4 years in the organization, but now he's leaving — flying off to join up with Emil "⁠Magisk⁠" Reif and Danny "⁠zonic⁠" Sørensen in Falcons after a year-long pursuit which included his face plastered on massive billboards in Riyadh during the Esports World Cup.

G2's CEO made NiKo's exit a part of the plan, reminding everyone that the Bosnian star still had several years left on his contract. "​​If we did [let NiKo leave], it's because we consider that this is a moment, perhaps a phase for this roster, where it's the right decision."

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Whether that is a PR spin or the truth, G2 must move on, and considering they've lost the greatest rifler since CS:GO's release, it's a tall task. An impossible one.

But NiKo is getting older. In the winter of last year, during Falcons's initial approach, G2 had four riflers that were above 27.

A reset was required, and with Falcons' Saudi-funded infinite money pit coming into view, G2 decided to sell NiKo while he had long enough left on his contract to command an eyewatering buyout. From the noises the organization have made, they want us to think this is as much their decision as NiKo's.

There is, as always, a catch. Selling NiKo might make sense in a Football Manager save, but in real life NiKo's longevity has been unmatched. Hitting 28 is a breaking point for many careers, but NiKo seems like a player for whom age will make little difference.

He also has a personal relationship with 19-year-old Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov, who was named the second-best player of 2024 and is squarely at the center of G2's project. If NiKo lures m0NESY to Falcons, G2 will have miscalculated, and badly. Their job, now, is to prove to m0NESY that it is worth staying; that G2 can live without NiKo.

Phase one of that plan was recruiting Mario "⁠malbsMd⁠" Samayoa. At the time, eyebrows were raised — a super aggressive young star was far from a natural replacement for the experienced and supportive Nemanja "⁠nexa⁠" Isaković.

Under the assumption that NiKo was staying, it was another example of a team playing against a youngster, getting 30-bombed, and demanding his signature from the higher ups with no consideration of the actual structural fit.

Now, knowing NiKo was leaving, it all seems part of a masterplan. They were right to think that an uncomfortable malbsMd would be as good an anchor as a comfortable nexa, and moving early has secured a ready-made NiKo replacement for 2025 who has seen how his idol works in real time.

Phase two is the real replacement for nexa, the infinitely malleable Nikita "⁠HeavyGod⁠" Martynenko. The Israeli was an anchor in OG, a star in Cloud9, and looks like he'll get a mix in G2.

First, the easy one: T side. Nemanja "⁠huNter-⁠" Kovač can return to his preferred semi-lurk positions, HeavyGod will lurk, and malbsMd will become the primary Opener.

But CT side requires a bit of working out. huNter- is a natural rotator, and even as his firepower wanes he is great positionally and as a support player for his anchors, much in the ilk of Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire. It's unlikely he'll lose his spots. Janusz "⁠Snax⁠" Pogorzelski will continue on as an anchor, and has improved individually.

We predict malbsMd to take over all the big spots like Connector on Mirage and CT on Dust2 from NiKo. Nuke is a question mark, given malbsMd even played Ramp on M80, but he is likely to move to Door and huNter- Outside or vice versa. Either way, malbsMd will have the pick of the litter as the new star rifler.

And malbsMd deserves it. As we predicted, he has been scintillating on T side with his 68% HS% on show and has become as feared as any entry except Danil "⁠donk⁠" Kryshkovets. But on CT side, he has a 1.04 rating compared to 1.20 on T. On M80, it was 1.27 on CT and 1.24 on T. Opposition has got tougher, but the role change is a huge part of that picture.

This rating will definitely improve as malbsMd changes roles. The question is less about his individual ability but whether he can match NiKo's mid-rounding, or timing of rotations. This is not a slight on malbsMd; no rifler can compete with NiKo's CS brain.

Like Natus Vincere learned with Mihai "⁠iM⁠" Ivan, finding star numbers in tier two as a rotator is very different from being a competent second caller, a necessary part of these positions in tier one. Playing those positions requires malbsMd to take tactical responsibility, too.

But it's not all on him. G2 can replace that in the aggregate. huNter- will be the primary second caller, particularly on CT where Snax anchors, and is able to be as vocal as needed. m0NESY can dictate a CT side, too.

Remember, too, that this new G2 will have a luxury NiKo's side has not had since Justin "⁠jks⁠" Savage departed: A trusty, reliable, overqualified anchor.

We have spent a lot of this piece talking about malbsMd and NiKo, given the shoes the Guatamalan will have to fill, but HeavyGod is just as crucial a piece.

If malbsMd can provide NiKo's openers on T and CT, HeavyGod might be able to match his clutches, mid-round multi-frags, and perfect sense of timing.

He's been praised for his attitude by Kirill "⁠Boombl4⁠" Mikhailov, being called a "really positive guy" — the same type of character references malbsMd received in M80, and his flexibility is an innate strength.

"I don't really mind what role I have," he said after joining C9. "It's just about what the coach and players need, I will just fit in the team. I can do everything because I'm universal, so whatever the team needs, I will do."

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It's rare to find this soldier-like attitude in someone so talented, but it's necessary. Outside of the obvious (and unlikely) links to m0NESY's best friend Valeriy "⁠b1t⁠" Vakhovskiy and Vitality-bound Robin "⁠ropz⁠" Kool, and maybe Keith "⁠NAF⁠" Markovic or Karim "⁠Krimbo⁠" Moussa, only Jimi "⁠Jimpphat⁠" Salo can boast potential as strong as HeavyGod in such tough positions. It's a specialist role, and one G2 have had a square peg in for the last six months.

On T side, HeavyGod's flexibility is a real strength. In OG, he had just 17.2% of his T-side deaths traded (the tell-tale sign of a lurker or baiter) and a clutching attribute score of 84. In Cloud9, his T-side entrying attribute was 87, and his deaths traded went up to 26.6%.

G2 will need both of those sides of the HeavyGod coin, and it's this versatility that makes him so good in the all-important 3v3 scenarios that decide matches.

It's like FaZe had with Russel "⁠Twistzz⁠" Van Dulken; a player that can clutch in a 1vX if needed but will also make the risky, aggressive move to find a multi-kill, or sacrifice himself as an entry for Helvijs "⁠broky⁠" Saukants or ropz. HeavyGod and m0NESY might not be as scary as NiKo and m0NESY in a 2v4, but I'd still fancy their chances.

There are still questions to answer for G2. Will they keep m0NESY? Can huNter- and Snax improve individually? How will malbsMd and HeavyGod deal with new, increased responsibility?

It is in the mind rather than the mouse and keyboard where we will find out if this new G2 can be a success. malbsMd and HeavyGod can find as many frags as NiKo and nexa, in theory. But in practice, will they make the same decisions on stage in a round that could decide a Major final?

malbsMd has been fantastic on stage in G2, and is the reason they beat HEROIC on the Mirage decider in Shanghai's quarter-final where m0NESY and NiKo both went quiet. But it will be a new experience for HeavyGod, who had a 1.03 rating in 5 maps in front of the Shanghai Opening Stage crowd.

Tactics will also be crucial. Wiktor "⁠TaZ⁠" Wojtas and Snax deserve credit for their integration of malbsMd on the T side. They now must do the same on CT, all the while integrating HeavyGod on both.

With NiKo gone, the duo's relative power in the team will also increase. There will be more room to stamp their identity onto the team's structure, with malbsMd and HeavyGod acting more as eager students than overmighty, experienced star players.

Losing NiKo is never a positive. That's certainly not the takeaway from this article. But, in terms of succession planning, G2 have done an excellent job preparing for the plunge. They deserve as much credit for that as they got stick for the initial nexa-malbsMd swap.

None of this careful planning will matter if trophies do not arrive. It's as important to impress m0NESY as his contract winds down as it is to impress the public. High-tier silverware is non-negotiable if G2 want to keep their new franchise player.

Years into the future, this swap could go down in history as one full of hubris, a hasty decision to voluntarily lose the second-best rifler in Counter-Strike during his peak.

But, should Father Time come for NiKo soon, it will become a masterstroke of back-office management, a brazen prioritization of youth that balanced the books and set G2 up for years to come.

It's brave to bet against NiKo, but G2 have done all they can. Let's see if it's enough.